£1 million technology grant cuts red tape for nurses

More than 500 nurses and midwives will be able spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork thanks to a £1 million mobile technology grant.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust put in a bid for part of the £30 million available from NHS England’s nursing technology fund and was one of only seven trusts to get the cash.

Jackie Allain, general manager for integrated community and elderly care at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “It’s crucial that our community staff are able to access electronic records for their daily role.

“Currently, our community nurses and midwives have to balance their time between working directly with patients and travelling to the office to complete administration work or gain access to care information.

“By providing them with mobile technology, this information is accessible wherever and whenever they need it.

“This instant access will drastically reduce travelling time and allow the team to be where they are most needed – providing high quality care to patients in the community.”

The trust plans to provide 500 of the community nurses and more than 50 midwives with access to mobile technology.

Earlier pilot schemes showed that use of the technology can have a positive impact on patient care.

As time travelling is reduced, the community team can increase the number of patient visits they make per day, as well as reducing the number of patients admitted to hospital as more of their care can be provided locally.

The use of mobile devices also aims to increase the opportunities patients have to directly influence their care, such as being involved in the ordering and assessment of the equipment that supports them in their home.

Chief nurse and director of patient care standards Carolyn Morrice said: “As well as allowing us to create a more sustainable, paper-free system, this technology will support a closer working relationship between our teams in the community and those working at our hospitals.

“We strive to provide safe and compassionate care, every time for our patients. We believe that this investment will help us to achieve that goal.”